Metropolitan Transportation Authority says that Metro-North Railroad has completed 14 of the 27 safety measures either mandated or suggested in the Federal Railroad Administration’s review of its operations earlier this year. The railroad says it has made progress on five of the measures and has a plan for eight more. Photo by Sue Pearsall Tracking Safety: Metro-North Railroad has completed 14 of the 27 safety measures either mandated or suggested in the Federal Railroad Administrations review of its operations, MTA says. Steps taken since last December include train speed reductions, automated track inspections and cab cameras, MTA says in a
The overall decline in the public sector took a toll on many of the New York region's design firms last year, some of which were still trying to dig their way out of the recession. The greatest demand for design services in the sector has been and is expected to continue to be fueled by numerous multi-year transportation projects and Superstorm Sandy-related work, executives say. On the private side, signs of life have returned, especially in the residential, commercial and higher education markets, they add. Related Links: 2014 Top Design Firms Ranking 2012 Top Design Firms: Moving Forward With Caution
Stevens Institute of Technology (SIT) has presented Cristina Martinez, a senior associate at Thornton Tomasetti's Newark office, with the Young Alumni Achievement Award. The award recognizes undergraduate alumni from the last two decades who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in their careers. Martinez Related Links: ENR New York ENR New York Featured People Parsons Brinckerhoff, New York City, has appointed Kenneth Jackson as systems integration manager in the New York City office. Jackson's responsibilities include managing testing and systems integration for the Second Avenue Subway project. He is a project manager and senior systems engineer and integrator with more than 25
The New York region's crowded roster of huge transportation projects now under way all have complex plans, billion-dollar budgets and daunting construction challenges and are expected to bolster the construction industry's core infrastructure market for years to come.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has unveiled a series of community-driven rebuilding proposals aimed at helping storm-battered cities, towns and villages throughout New York become more resilient. Under the state’s Rising Community Reconstruction Program (NYRCR), eligible communities affected by hurricanes Sandy and Irene as well as Tropical Storm Lee may receive up to $25 million for rebuilding and revitalization efforts. Photo Courtesy of the Governor's Office New York Rising: The program, which was established by Gov. Cuomo in April 2013, received more than 700 rebuilding project proposals. The program, which Cuomo established in April 2013, received more than 700 project proposals, “and
In time for New York City’s April 22 Earth Day celebrations, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced two initiatives related to environmental issues—one focusing on sustainability and resiliency efforts and another concerning air pollution. Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York Division Cleaning Up: The Army Corps of Engineers headed up beach restoration work on the Rockaway peninsula last fall. The mayor issued a progress report on the city’s PlaNYC guidelines, saying that the Office of Recovery and Resiliency—which he launched last month—will continue the push begun under the Bloomberg Administration for major climate resiliency efforts.Among the
New York City construction spending reached $29.3-billion in 2013, up 6% from 2012, and helped by growth in the government sector, according to a new New York Building Congress (NYBC) study. Rendering Courtesy of New York City Economic Development Corp. Measuring Units: The Hunter's Point South project's 941 units greatly contributed to the rise in building permits issued in Queens last year. Government spending accounted for $13.7 billion, or 47% of construction spending last year, the study says. That is only a slight increase from the $13.4 billion spent in 2012. Spending in this sector peaked in 2008 at $16.3-billion,
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on April 7 that he is appointing Columbia University civil-environmental engineering and computer science professor Feniosky Peña-Mora, who also had been engineering school dean, as commissioner of the city's Dept. of Design and Construction (DDC). Photo Courtesy of Columbia University Pena-Mora is civil engineering researcher and former Columbia U. engineering dean. Related Links: Columbia Engineering Dean Resigns Under Pressure Columbia U.'s New Engineering Dean Returns to Familiar Campus DDC is the city's capital construction project manager, with a staff of nearly 1,200 and a $10 billion portfolio, says its website.According to a
The New York State Thruway Authority is withholding up to $1 million in project progress payments to Tappan Zee Constructors (TZC), the design-build team on the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement, due to several instances of construction barges becoming loose at the site. Image Courtesy of The New York State Thruway Authority Dredging Up: Work on the new two-span bridge began last October and is scheduled for completion by 2018. “Until TZC delivers a contractually required corrective action plan that can be reviewed and approved” by its project team, the Thruway Authority will withhold the funds as allowed under contract, the
A Democratic New Jersey lawmaker has introduced legislation to replace three of Republican Gov. Chris Christie's nominees to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) board, including board Chairman David Samson. The bill seeks to replace those members with "public interest" members nominated by the nonprofit and advocacy organizations New Jersey Future, Trenton, and Tri-State Transportation Campaign, New York; as well as research and advocacy group Regional Plan Association, Princeton. The move comes amid questions raised over whether the governor played a role in the September closure of two entrance lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge
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